Rep Peter King Continues Anti-Michael Jackson Rant Into Monday, Observes Reverent, Respectful Day of Silence Tuesday

Angry GOP Congressman Peter King is not backing down from his remarks, posted on YouTube over the weekend, alleging that the deceased pop star Michael Jackson was a “pervert” and a “low life” who “did some dancing” in between molesting kids. CBS 2 HD gave King an opportunity to fan his own flames, asking the congressman yesterday whether he regretted speaking ill of a dead man. Instead he launched into a further tirade about the “orgy of glorification” Jackson’s been enjoying since he passed, adding:

“Yes, he did violate young boys. He did put them in terribly inappropriate positions. And that’s a terrible signal to be sending out to society — that we’re somehow condoning that behavior. And you are condoning it when you give him the type of — when we give him the type of regal coverage! And millions of people fighting to get to this mega-memorial! I mean, this is — this is wrong!”

Gracefully, King then added that although he was perfectly content to rant and rave about a dead man who was beloved by millions over the long weekend that preceded Jackson’s memorial, he would nobly keep silent on the day itself: “I will not be speaking tomorrow, on the day of his memorial. I mean, here’s a guy who had so much; in the end, he really had very little.” So at least there’s that. Meanwhile, Democrats are apparently already using the congressman’s rant to raise money for as-yet-unchosen Democratic contender for King’s House seat. May their campaign song be “They Don’t Care About Us.”

Rep. King Continues Jackson Rant To CBS 2 HD [CBS 2 HD, via Gothamist]